Showtime dramas surge to series bests

Sunday night was a good one on two fronts for Showtime.
 
The cable network's long-running drama "Dexter" averaged 2.6 million total viewers in its 9 p.m. timeslot, according to Nielsen, a series high surpassing the season four finale, which averaged 2.57 million.
 
That was also up 25 percent from the previous week's episode, which averaged 2.1 million viewers.
 
Including an encore airing, "Dexter" averaged 3.08 million total viewers for the night, also breaking a record previously held by the fourth-season finale.
 
Not to be outdone, "Dexter" lead-out "Homeland" also set a series high, averaging 2.36 million total viewers in the 10 p.m. hour, beating the 2.2 million the previous week's episode averaged.
 
The numbers bode well for the season finales of both "Dexter" and "Homeland," which air on Sunday night. Season-to-date "Dexter" is up 12 percent versus last season, while best drama Emmy winner "Homeland" is up 35 percent.
 

Tags: cable ratings, dexter, dexter ratings, encore, finales, fourth season, homeland, homeland ratings, pay cable, season finale, series high, showtime, timeslot, viewers